Art, Science, and Peace: The Proposed 'World Man Center' Project on Cyprus

Abstract

There is a metaphysics of art that is based in the transnational nature of art. It is small wonder, then, that artists seeking a creative center devoted to world peace might look for a location that was likewise transnational. The World Man Center on Cyprus was proposed in the 1960s and was envisioned as an artwork containing works of art, enclosed by a work of art, and in large part funded by works of art. As an aesthetic object, it was to be a symbol of transnational poetic creativity endeavoring to transform the everyday, to disclose more of the world, and to bring creative possibility to fruition. This project, although not realized, integrated the architectural design and the land of the site and transformed those involved in its making, who continue to interpret what is real and possible. This has not been accomplished by reason alone.